Good morning,
Quote of the day:
“I went to this restaurant and it had the worst food I have ever tasted, but they had really small portions.”
Woody Allen
I keep reading about someone named Kanye West grabbing a microphone and uttering some gibberish that means nothing to anyone but himself. I had to do a little research to find out exactly who this egomaniac was. He is a hip-hop performer. I hesitate to say “singer” because he ain’t. He is just as good a singer/performer as I am an astronaut. Some men get a little notoriety and then they think they are the smarter than any man in South Carolina. I use that comparison advisedly because South Carolina is the home of Alvin Greene. But Alvin has made one contribution; I was able to initiate an award in his behalf. It is the AGCUS award. He will be remembered.
A good friend from Texas advised me that Joe Scarborough who is the co-host of “Morning Joe” on MSNBC has stated that he is dismayed by the fact the present day schools are not teaching the real history of this great nation. They do not even acknowledge the greatest tragedy to ever befall this country and that being the American Civil War from 1861-1865. This war cost the lives of more Americans that all other wars combined AND THE DON’T TEACH IT?? I guess it is not politically correct but it is disgusting. To try and help Joe out I sent an e-mail telling him about my lessons that are available on my blog site. It is unlikely that anything will happen but I feel like I did the right thing.
Up in the Asheville, NC area a woman and her three year old kid were walking down the sidewalk and a pit bull charges out of the undergrowth, knocked the kid over backward and bit it on the face. I have said it before and here it is again. Fighting cocks, bull terriers and pit bulls have been used as a form of amusement fighting since the early 1700’s in America. There has to have been an imprint on their genetics that carries on to this day. I think a well mannered Pit Bull or a Rottweiler is the exception rather than the rule. Give me a Lab, Beagle or Golden Retriever anytime. Forgive me “Daddy”.
I am reading about the American Revolutionary War once again. From the start the American military knew that they could not stand up the British military in the traditional manner of infantry encounters of the day. They would gather in neatly dressed lines about 100 yards apart and blaze away until one side or the other lost their nerve. The Americans had been dealing with the Indians for many years and the Indians did not buy that routine of lining up out in the open, they attacked from ambush. George Washington found favor with this method and formed a company of 500 snipers lead by Daniel Morgan. The first major battle won by the Patriots was as a direct result of Daniel and his boys. It was at the Battle of Saratoga. The British were coming through a dense forest from Canada to Saratoga. Daniel’s snipers began by picking off the Native American guides until there were none left, then they started picking off the commanding officers until there were just a few left and then the British lost contact with their supply train, it was all over after that. British general Burgoyne surrendered.
This date in history December 13
2003 After nine months on the run, on this date former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is found by American soldiers in a “spider” hole in the ground near his home town of Tikrit, Iraq. The search for this ghoul and monster was intense and all encompassing after the invasion of Iraq by the Allies. They had cornered Saddam’s sons in one of their castles but they wanted to fight rather than surrender and fight they did. But it was for naught because the Allies brought in a tank and leveled that building killing all of the occupants including Saddam’s sons. The atrocities committed or allowed by Saddam and his sons were inserted in the catalog of crimes on humanity never to be forgotten. Saddam was put on trial convicted and was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity. Saddam went to meet Allah with a rope around his neck.
1937 At the outset of the Sino-Chinese war, the Japanese military leader Matsui Iwane ordered the leveling of the city of Nanking after the Chinese leadership had escaped inland. The Japanese troops swept into Nanking and unceremoniously killed over 150,000 men, raped over 20,000 women and children and burned the town to the ground. This atrocious act of terrorism is known to this date at “The Rape of Nanking.” Not that it really matters, but after the war all the major Japanese officers involved in these acts were tried and hanged for crimes against humanity. Crimes, indeed.
1621 I don’t know it ya’ll remember it or not, but in an earlier lesson I stated the Governor William Bradford had discovered that his interpreter Squanto had been extorting the Indians and the chief came to Bradford and complained. Well, Bradford knew how important good relationship with the Indians was and was taking Squanto to the gallows when he spied a British sailing vessel coming over the horizon and knew it was a ship load of settlers. He also knew that Squanto would be important to the newcomers and spared Squanto but impressed upon him to knock off the extortion shit with the Indians. Well, the ship was “The Fortune” with 35 settlers aboard commanded by Captain Robert Cushman. Cushman unloaded the settlers and took on a load of furs, especially beaver pelts to take back to England. Unfortunately for Cushman he was overtaken by a French pirate ship and his furs were taken. But the permanent settlers thought they were going to make their living off the Cod fishing close off shore. After finding out that furs were just a valuable as Cod fish and began running trap lines instead. It was the fur market that caused the opening of the western frontier in the United States.
1862 Yesterday I told ya’ll about the Union Army finally being able to cross the Rappahannock River and occupy Fredericksburg, Virginia. But CSA General R.E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia had been there for two days digging in on a hill and aiming their artillery. Not only that at the base of the hill was a road with a stone wall on one side. Lee sent General George Cobb and a few hundred of Georgia sharpshooters to hide behind the stone wall and wait on an infantry charge. At one point General Lee’s artillery commander said “General, I don’t think a chicken could cross that field and live.” He was nearly correct. Burnside ordered infantry charge after infantry charge and all were cut to pieces by Lee’s artillery before they got half way and those that did were met with Cobb’s Georgians at the stone wall who shot them at nearly point blank range. As I said yesterday, it was the worst battle loss in American history. Burnside was going to try it again on the 14th of December but he was talked out it by cooler head and he headed back north. As soon as he got back he was immediately relieved by US General Joseph Hooker, he wasn’t very good either. It was during this battle that General Lee said the Immortal words “It is good that war is so terrible or we would learn to love it.” These words were parroted by US General George Patton.
1798 On this date one of the greatest mountain men/explorers in American history is born in the backwoods of Tennessee. Joseph R. “Joe” Walker was recognized as being very intelligent and had the talent to be able to remember any lands that he had traveled; therefore he was rarely lost and made an excellent guide. He was persuaded by William Bonneville to into the southwestern area and does some mapping for his upcoming fur trapping enterprise. At that time that land belonged to Mexico and he was captured and put into jail in Santa Fe. He got out of jail when he helped the Mexicans fight off several raids from the Pawnee and the Apache. He was released and continues his searching. In 1833 he and three of his party accidentally came upon the Yosemite Valley. It is believed that he and his men were the first honkies to see the wonders of this magic land. Walker established a farm in northern California where he died ravaged by rheumatism and blindness. He wanted his gravestone to read “Camped Yosemite, November 11, 1833.” Evidently the viewing of Yosemite was the most important time of his life. Joe Walker was not the only trailblazer out there. There were Jim Bridger and Kit Carson among many others. But Joe Walker found his niche in life and enjoyed every second of it. We should all be so fortunate.
Famous quotes:
“Dyslexia means you never have to say your syrro.” Anon
Born today:
1797 German writer Heinrich Heine. When speaking of one of his enemy he said “He was ordinarily insane but he had lucid moments when he was merely stupid.” I think I know this person.
1879 English actress Emily Belmont. She said “The private railcar is not an acquired taste. One takes to it immediately.” I would think so.
1915 US Mystery writer Ross McDonald. He said “There is nothing wrong with Southern California that a sudden and complete rise in the ocean level wouldn’t cure.”
1949 US musician Tom Verlaine. He said “The press deserves nothing but lies”. Why not, that is what the feed us
1954 English singer Berton Averre. He said “To err is dysfunctional; to forgive is to be codependent.” Bert, you need to simplify your life.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Monday, December 13, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Daily history
Good morning,
Quote of the day:
After seeing demonstration of a flame thrower the idol of every US Marine, Lt. Col. (at the time) Lewis “Chesty” Puller said “Where do we put the bayonet?” This man was a Marine’s Marine. Anyway, after a blast with the flame thrower, what would be left to stab?
As some of you may or may not know there is a gigantic BMW assembly plant and seven Michelin tire manufacturing plants along with many smaller businesses that supply BMW many, many smaller parts within a 10 mile radius of Greenville, SC. These and a GE gas turbine plant are the largest employers in this area by far. We still have an unemployment percentage problem in spite of the fact that BMW has shown an overall increase in sales of over 20%. Over 70% of the cars manufactured here are exported with the largest market being Germany and China which accounts for 42% of sales.
On the stock market there is a company named “Fortune Brands”. They own Jim Beam bourbon, Titlist golf equipment and Master Lock security equipment. Fortune has decided to sell Titlist, which includes Footjoy shoes and gloves and Master Lock. They will retain their “spirits” business which includes Jim Beam, Canadian Club and Maker’s Mark. Fortune says that this business generates $2.5 billion annually. That is hell of a lot of booze, y’all. My head hurts just thinking about it.
The university of Florida Head football coach Urban Meyer has resigned after five years and two national championships. He will coach the team in the upcoming bowl game, however. He cited the reason is that he wants to spend more time with his family. I don’t blame him.
Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier has been voted the Southeast Conference Coach of the Year. Running back Marcus Lattimore has been voted SEC Freshman of the Year with 1,189 Yards gained and 19 touchdowns.
The South Carolina legislature is assembling an immigration law very similar to the Arizona Law. It is common knowledge of what parts of the Arizona Law that were struck down in court so it is relatively simple to design a law that bypasses those flaws. This undertaking was strenuously objected to by two state senators that said construction helpers are in short supply in their districts. Speaker McConnell rebutted those arguments by saying we are a nation of laws not convenience.
This date in history December 10
1974 On this date the Washington, DC police stopped a car near the Jefferson Memorial moving very slowly with the lights out. The police look into the window and who should appear but the 65 year old Senator Wilbur Mills of Arkansas drunker than Cooter Brown. The good Senator had a few substantial scratches on his face also. But that ain’t all; the Senator had a traveling companion. It was the 38 year old Annabell Battistella. Annabell was obviously well endowed top to bottom and suddenly she leaps out of the car and jumped into the close by tidal basin. The police grab her and pull her to safety by her.....Well, they pull her to safety. The police determine that Annabell had a few scratches of her own plus a black eye. That is not all they determine, Annabell is an exotic dancer using the alias of Fanne Foxe. Keep in mind that good old Wilbur is the chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee and this kind of exposure ain’t good for him. Anyway, some of Senator Mills’ assistants come to his aid and he is taken to a hotel room to sober up promising the police that he will be back to pay his fine, if any. This episode was so sordid and widespread that it cost Wilbur his chairmanship and eventually he decided that he would not run for office again. By the way, the nosy news reporters determined that Wilbur and Annabell had been having this relationship for several years but it finally caught up with him and cost him his career. This is fair warning to you married guys out there. But for all of us older single guys, WAY TO GO WILBUR!!!
1864 On this date the Union army under the command of US General William T. Sherman arrives in front of Savannah, Georgia after sweeping a 60 mile wide swath of destruction through central Georgia. The Confederates had flooded all the fields around Savannah leaving only a few roads on high ground to be defended. Sherman realized that he had outrun his supply line and tasked US General O.O. Howard to find the supply ships that were supposed to be awaiting their arrival. Howard sent one of his lieutenants and two enlisted men on the hunt. The lieutenant finally flags down a Union warship and gets them to take him to the supply ships which are riding at anchor in an inlet near Hilton Head Island. The lieutenant orders the supply ships to Savannah. The 10,000 man Confederate army defending Savannah were commanded by General William Hardee. Sherman’s army was 60,000 strong. Hardee was able to hold out until December 20 then he realized that there was no way he could continue against the siege and he led his army up the coast to fight again another day.
1963 On this date the 19 year old Frank Sinatra, Jr. is kidnapped from Harrah’s Casino at Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Very soon thereafter Frank Sinatra, Sr. is offered help from Attorney General Robert Kennedy and even crime boss Sam Giancana. Frank Sr. refused help except from the FBI and they arranged a series of phone calls and a drop area for the money. The kidnappers accepted the terms, took the money and told the FBI where they could find Frank, Jr. The FBI picked up Frank, Jr. and took him to safety. A few weeks later a man named Frank Ryan turned himself in to the San Diego police as being one of the kidnap conspirators. Very soon after that all the conspirators were captured with the leader being Barry Keenan. Keenan did 4 ½ years hard time and was released. Today he is a multi-millionaire real estate mogul in the Los Angeles area. There ain’t no justice, is there?
1967 On this date a plane carrying soul singer Otis Redding and members of the band the Bar-Kays crashes into a lake near Madison, Wisconsin. All of the occupants were not killed and one of the survivors said that he had been asleep and woke up, looked across the aisle at one of the band members who suddenly raised his arms and yelled “Oh no!” and then they hit the water. There was a snow storm in Madison that day but it should have had no effect on that flight. The exact reason for the crash was never determined.
Here is a list and year that famous music stars died in plane crashes:
1959 Buddy Holley, J.P “The Big Bopper” Richardson, Ritchie Valens.
1963 Patsy Cline
1973 Jim Croce
1977 Several members of the Lynyrd Skynyrd band.
And finally...1997 John Denver.
Born today:
1911 TV journalist Chet Huntley. When speaking of former Vice-President Spiro Agnew he said “I hesitate to get into the gutter with this man.” Agnew had to resign in disgrace as Vice-President because it was proven that he took bribes while Governor of Maryland.
1805 US writer William Lloyd Garrison. He said “That which is not just is not law.” Hey William, who the hell determines what is just and what isn’t? I’ll tell you what, let’s just allow every person to determine what is just in their eyes and then anarchy will prevail. Then it is simply a case of who is the strongest, meanest or has the most efficient weapons. That would take care of the problem...right?
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Quote of the day:
After seeing demonstration of a flame thrower the idol of every US Marine, Lt. Col. (at the time) Lewis “Chesty” Puller said “Where do we put the bayonet?” This man was a Marine’s Marine. Anyway, after a blast with the flame thrower, what would be left to stab?
As some of you may or may not know there is a gigantic BMW assembly plant and seven Michelin tire manufacturing plants along with many smaller businesses that supply BMW many, many smaller parts within a 10 mile radius of Greenville, SC. These and a GE gas turbine plant are the largest employers in this area by far. We still have an unemployment percentage problem in spite of the fact that BMW has shown an overall increase in sales of over 20%. Over 70% of the cars manufactured here are exported with the largest market being Germany and China which accounts for 42% of sales.
On the stock market there is a company named “Fortune Brands”. They own Jim Beam bourbon, Titlist golf equipment and Master Lock security equipment. Fortune has decided to sell Titlist, which includes Footjoy shoes and gloves and Master Lock. They will retain their “spirits” business which includes Jim Beam, Canadian Club and Maker’s Mark. Fortune says that this business generates $2.5 billion annually. That is hell of a lot of booze, y’all. My head hurts just thinking about it.
The university of Florida Head football coach Urban Meyer has resigned after five years and two national championships. He will coach the team in the upcoming bowl game, however. He cited the reason is that he wants to spend more time with his family. I don’t blame him.
Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier has been voted the Southeast Conference Coach of the Year. Running back Marcus Lattimore has been voted SEC Freshman of the Year with 1,189 Yards gained and 19 touchdowns.
The South Carolina legislature is assembling an immigration law very similar to the Arizona Law. It is common knowledge of what parts of the Arizona Law that were struck down in court so it is relatively simple to design a law that bypasses those flaws. This undertaking was strenuously objected to by two state senators that said construction helpers are in short supply in their districts. Speaker McConnell rebutted those arguments by saying we are a nation of laws not convenience.
This date in history December 10
1974 On this date the Washington, DC police stopped a car near the Jefferson Memorial moving very slowly with the lights out. The police look into the window and who should appear but the 65 year old Senator Wilbur Mills of Arkansas drunker than Cooter Brown. The good Senator had a few substantial scratches on his face also. But that ain’t all; the Senator had a traveling companion. It was the 38 year old Annabell Battistella. Annabell was obviously well endowed top to bottom and suddenly she leaps out of the car and jumped into the close by tidal basin. The police grab her and pull her to safety by her.....Well, they pull her to safety. The police determine that Annabell had a few scratches of her own plus a black eye. That is not all they determine, Annabell is an exotic dancer using the alias of Fanne Foxe. Keep in mind that good old Wilbur is the chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee and this kind of exposure ain’t good for him. Anyway, some of Senator Mills’ assistants come to his aid and he is taken to a hotel room to sober up promising the police that he will be back to pay his fine, if any. This episode was so sordid and widespread that it cost Wilbur his chairmanship and eventually he decided that he would not run for office again. By the way, the nosy news reporters determined that Wilbur and Annabell had been having this relationship for several years but it finally caught up with him and cost him his career. This is fair warning to you married guys out there. But for all of us older single guys, WAY TO GO WILBUR!!!
1864 On this date the Union army under the command of US General William T. Sherman arrives in front of Savannah, Georgia after sweeping a 60 mile wide swath of destruction through central Georgia. The Confederates had flooded all the fields around Savannah leaving only a few roads on high ground to be defended. Sherman realized that he had outrun his supply line and tasked US General O.O. Howard to find the supply ships that were supposed to be awaiting their arrival. Howard sent one of his lieutenants and two enlisted men on the hunt. The lieutenant finally flags down a Union warship and gets them to take him to the supply ships which are riding at anchor in an inlet near Hilton Head Island. The lieutenant orders the supply ships to Savannah. The 10,000 man Confederate army defending Savannah were commanded by General William Hardee. Sherman’s army was 60,000 strong. Hardee was able to hold out until December 20 then he realized that there was no way he could continue against the siege and he led his army up the coast to fight again another day.
1963 On this date the 19 year old Frank Sinatra, Jr. is kidnapped from Harrah’s Casino at Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Very soon thereafter Frank Sinatra, Sr. is offered help from Attorney General Robert Kennedy and even crime boss Sam Giancana. Frank Sr. refused help except from the FBI and they arranged a series of phone calls and a drop area for the money. The kidnappers accepted the terms, took the money and told the FBI where they could find Frank, Jr. The FBI picked up Frank, Jr. and took him to safety. A few weeks later a man named Frank Ryan turned himself in to the San Diego police as being one of the kidnap conspirators. Very soon after that all the conspirators were captured with the leader being Barry Keenan. Keenan did 4 ½ years hard time and was released. Today he is a multi-millionaire real estate mogul in the Los Angeles area. There ain’t no justice, is there?
1967 On this date a plane carrying soul singer Otis Redding and members of the band the Bar-Kays crashes into a lake near Madison, Wisconsin. All of the occupants were not killed and one of the survivors said that he had been asleep and woke up, looked across the aisle at one of the band members who suddenly raised his arms and yelled “Oh no!” and then they hit the water. There was a snow storm in Madison that day but it should have had no effect on that flight. The exact reason for the crash was never determined.
Here is a list and year that famous music stars died in plane crashes:
1959 Buddy Holley, J.P “The Big Bopper” Richardson, Ritchie Valens.
1963 Patsy Cline
1973 Jim Croce
1977 Several members of the Lynyrd Skynyrd band.
And finally...1997 John Denver.
Born today:
1911 TV journalist Chet Huntley. When speaking of former Vice-President Spiro Agnew he said “I hesitate to get into the gutter with this man.” Agnew had to resign in disgrace as Vice-President because it was proven that he took bribes while Governor of Maryland.
1805 US writer William Lloyd Garrison. He said “That which is not just is not law.” Hey William, who the hell determines what is just and what isn’t? I’ll tell you what, let’s just allow every person to determine what is just in their eyes and then anarchy will prevail. Then it is simply a case of who is the strongest, meanest or has the most efficient weapons. That would take care of the problem...right?
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Daily history
Good morning,
Quote of the day:
“The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved that it will be.”
Marcel Pagnol
Some of you know about the Albert Haynesworth saga and some of you don’t. Albert is an all-pro defensive lineman in the NFL. Last year his contract was bought by the Washington Redskins whose head coach is Mike Shanahan. Albert really did not want to go to Washington and began a series of obnoxious behaviors. He did not show up at mandatory camps in pre-season. He feigned sickness during practice and finally refused to play defense unless it was an obvious passing situation. He also refused to talk with Shanahan. On Tuesday he was suspended without pay for the rest of the season for “Conduct detrimental to the team.” This will cost him about $3.5 million. The Redskins bought his contract for $100 million, if you can believe that. He received his first installment of $15 million earlier this year. There is little doubt that the Redskins have an escape clause that allows them to back out of any contract if the player does not perform. My advice to the Redskins: Kick that obnoxious bastard to the curb and forget about it. A candidate for the AGCUS award.
I had planned to fly to Key West for a few weeks to avoid the ice box weather that is on the way. The TSA agents want me to come to the airport two hours early because their body scanner will not cover my entire torso in one shot, it will take at least two, and a body search just might be toxic, just joking.
The US Senate has voted unanimously to impeach a Federal judge from Louisiana. There are four charges against him and the first charge was upheld meaning the judge will lose his seat on the bench and will lose his pension also. This judge was accepting gifts, fancy dinners and fishing trips financed by the attorneys practicing in his courtroom. This judge is also a candidate for an AGCUS award.
Here is another candidate. 33 year old Tony Christie was arrested. Tony is the basketball coach at Daniel High School over near Clemson/Anderson, SC. It seems that he had a 16 year old girl that was his teaching assistant and he chose to stroke her on the butt and put his hand down the front of her blouse. The girl resisted and eventually ran out of the room. When she went home and her mother and father noticed a change in her demeanor for the next few days. She cried for no apparent reason and did not want to go to school. They finally found out what was wrong with her and called the cops. This jackass coach played on the Clemson basketball team.
This date in history December 9
1775 Earlier the British governor of Virginia John Murray, also known as Lord Dunsmore, was run out of his office in Williamsburg, Virginia by a contingent of Patriots. Lord Dunsmore hauled ass to Norfolk which was primarily Tory (loyal to England) territory. Dunsmore knew the Patriots would come after him so he felt it prudent to raise an army but he did it in an unorthodox way. He put out a notice that any slave of a Patriot that came to his aid and joined the army he was forming would be freed. He ended up with an army of 800 slaves and 300 British redcoats that became known as the “Ethiopian Brigade”. The slave owners, both Patriot and Loyalist, were not pleased with the good governor freeing slaves for whatever reason. It set a bad precedent and he did not have the power to do such a thing. So the slave owners sent reinforcements to the army of the Patriots that were after Dunsmore. Dunsmore was sure that he had enough troops to defeat any Patriot army. He was wrong. When the eventual confrontation occurred, Dunsmore’s troops were severely outnumbered and soon after the battle was joined Dunsmore ran like a rabbit and got aboard his ship “Otter” anchored in the bay. There were only three hundred survivors of the Ethiopian Brigade and they ran and got aboard the Otter also. They were not there very long because of an outbreak of smallpox which killed most of them including John Murray, also known as Lord Dunsmore.
1950 On this date British authorities arrest a man named Harry Gold. Good old Harry was a “mule” that carried atomic secrets from a Russian spy working at the super secret American Los Alamos Laboratories where the first Atomic bomb was assembled. The spy was named Klaus Fuchs, a brilliant scientist but a dedicated Russian sympathizer. So Good old Klaus was arrested by English authorities and he rolled on yet another worker at Los Alamos named David Greenglass. Greenglass rolled on the people that ran the spy network and they were American scientists Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Everybody got extended jail terms except the Rosenbergs. These traitors to their country got the death penalty. Both went to meet their maker medium rare courtesy of “Old Sparky” the electric chair. I wish I would have been there singing and dancing to the song “I used to know You Were Around Because of the Garlic on Your Breath, but Now that you have Gone Away So Have Gnats and Flies.”
1981 On this date Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner is found dead on the city streets and black political activist Mumia Abu-Jamal lying nearby severely wounded. It seems that Mumia was riding around in Philadelphia late at night in a cab when he spotted his brother engaged in a fight with Officer Faulkner. Mumia jumps out of the cab and tries to intervene by pulling out a pistol at the same time. Apparently Faulkner had time to unholster his weapon also and the two exchanged gunfire. Faulkner was mortally wounded but Mamia was seriously wounded but not fatally. Mamia is put on trial for the first degree murder of Officer Faulkner even though the actual circumstances were not really known. Anyway the prosecution used their peremptory challenge and put 10 white people and only two blacks on the jury in a city that is 43% black. The trial was held only two months after the gunfight and Mamia was no where near well enough to answer any question much less help his attorney ask any questions. As you might suspect, he was convicted and is serving a prison term as we speak. I usually am not easy on crime but this case appears to be a rush to judgment.
1940 On this date a British army of two divisions, half of them from India, with the strength of 30,000 troops and 275 tanks begin an assault on a five division Italian army consisting of 80,000 troop and 120 tanks. Italy had declared war on England in March right after joining with Hitler in the Axis. The prime purpose of the English army was to prevent the Italians from taking control of the Suez Canal. Very soon after the battle was joined, the British found a safe route through and around the Italian mine fields for their tanks and quickly surrounded the Italians. Two days later the Italians surrendered. Needless to say, Hitler was furious. Soon after that, the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini convinced Hitler that his army could conquer Greece. Hitler warned that any country that is fighting on its own soil is twice as ferocious as otherwise. Mussolini blew it off and invaded Greece. Soon thereafter he found his army surrounded on three sides with their young asses backed up to the sea and would have been annihilated had it not been for Hitler sending in a division of paratroopers to bail the Italians out. The Italians were the absolute worst fighting force during World War II and were a thorn in the side of Hitler.
Born today:
1608 English writer John Milton. He said “It is not miserable to be blind, it is miserable to no be incapable of enduring blindness.” John gave us “Paradise Lost” and “Paradise Regained” two books that are beacons in the literary world.
1848 US writer Joel Chandler Harris. He gave us the “Uncle Remus” tales and sayings, one of which was “Watch out when you are getting all you want, the fattening of a hog ain’t luck.” Somehow that reminds me of Rosie O’Donnell.
1895 Spanish communist leader Delores Ibarruri. She said “It is better to die on your feet that to live on you knees.” She was not the first to say that, it was also said by Leonidas, the commander of the Spartans at Thermopylae. But I guess neither Leonidas nor Delores knew Monica Lewinsky.
1904 US writer Louis Kronenberger. When describing a recent date he said “That woman ate so many clams that her stomach rose and fell with the tide.” That is not as bad as seeing someone pull a chair up to the salad bar. I saw that happen. He was from Alabama.
1922 US comedian Redd Foxx. He said “All of those health nuts out there are going to feel pretty damn stupid one day when they are lying in a hospital bed dying of nothing”.
1911 US actor Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. He said “I was telling the Queen just the other day how much I hate name dropping.” Shut up, Doug.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Quote of the day:
“The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved that it will be.”
Marcel Pagnol
Some of you know about the Albert Haynesworth saga and some of you don’t. Albert is an all-pro defensive lineman in the NFL. Last year his contract was bought by the Washington Redskins whose head coach is Mike Shanahan. Albert really did not want to go to Washington and began a series of obnoxious behaviors. He did not show up at mandatory camps in pre-season. He feigned sickness during practice and finally refused to play defense unless it was an obvious passing situation. He also refused to talk with Shanahan. On Tuesday he was suspended without pay for the rest of the season for “Conduct detrimental to the team.” This will cost him about $3.5 million. The Redskins bought his contract for $100 million, if you can believe that. He received his first installment of $15 million earlier this year. There is little doubt that the Redskins have an escape clause that allows them to back out of any contract if the player does not perform. My advice to the Redskins: Kick that obnoxious bastard to the curb and forget about it. A candidate for the AGCUS award.
I had planned to fly to Key West for a few weeks to avoid the ice box weather that is on the way. The TSA agents want me to come to the airport two hours early because their body scanner will not cover my entire torso in one shot, it will take at least two, and a body search just might be toxic, just joking.
The US Senate has voted unanimously to impeach a Federal judge from Louisiana. There are four charges against him and the first charge was upheld meaning the judge will lose his seat on the bench and will lose his pension also. This judge was accepting gifts, fancy dinners and fishing trips financed by the attorneys practicing in his courtroom. This judge is also a candidate for an AGCUS award.
Here is another candidate. 33 year old Tony Christie was arrested. Tony is the basketball coach at Daniel High School over near Clemson/Anderson, SC. It seems that he had a 16 year old girl that was his teaching assistant and he chose to stroke her on the butt and put his hand down the front of her blouse. The girl resisted and eventually ran out of the room. When she went home and her mother and father noticed a change in her demeanor for the next few days. She cried for no apparent reason and did not want to go to school. They finally found out what was wrong with her and called the cops. This jackass coach played on the Clemson basketball team.
This date in history December 9
1775 Earlier the British governor of Virginia John Murray, also known as Lord Dunsmore, was run out of his office in Williamsburg, Virginia by a contingent of Patriots. Lord Dunsmore hauled ass to Norfolk which was primarily Tory (loyal to England) territory. Dunsmore knew the Patriots would come after him so he felt it prudent to raise an army but he did it in an unorthodox way. He put out a notice that any slave of a Patriot that came to his aid and joined the army he was forming would be freed. He ended up with an army of 800 slaves and 300 British redcoats that became known as the “Ethiopian Brigade”. The slave owners, both Patriot and Loyalist, were not pleased with the good governor freeing slaves for whatever reason. It set a bad precedent and he did not have the power to do such a thing. So the slave owners sent reinforcements to the army of the Patriots that were after Dunsmore. Dunsmore was sure that he had enough troops to defeat any Patriot army. He was wrong. When the eventual confrontation occurred, Dunsmore’s troops were severely outnumbered and soon after the battle was joined Dunsmore ran like a rabbit and got aboard his ship “Otter” anchored in the bay. There were only three hundred survivors of the Ethiopian Brigade and they ran and got aboard the Otter also. They were not there very long because of an outbreak of smallpox which killed most of them including John Murray, also known as Lord Dunsmore.
1950 On this date British authorities arrest a man named Harry Gold. Good old Harry was a “mule” that carried atomic secrets from a Russian spy working at the super secret American Los Alamos Laboratories where the first Atomic bomb was assembled. The spy was named Klaus Fuchs, a brilliant scientist but a dedicated Russian sympathizer. So Good old Klaus was arrested by English authorities and he rolled on yet another worker at Los Alamos named David Greenglass. Greenglass rolled on the people that ran the spy network and they were American scientists Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Everybody got extended jail terms except the Rosenbergs. These traitors to their country got the death penalty. Both went to meet their maker medium rare courtesy of “Old Sparky” the electric chair. I wish I would have been there singing and dancing to the song “I used to know You Were Around Because of the Garlic on Your Breath, but Now that you have Gone Away So Have Gnats and Flies.”
1981 On this date Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner is found dead on the city streets and black political activist Mumia Abu-Jamal lying nearby severely wounded. It seems that Mumia was riding around in Philadelphia late at night in a cab when he spotted his brother engaged in a fight with Officer Faulkner. Mumia jumps out of the cab and tries to intervene by pulling out a pistol at the same time. Apparently Faulkner had time to unholster his weapon also and the two exchanged gunfire. Faulkner was mortally wounded but Mamia was seriously wounded but not fatally. Mamia is put on trial for the first degree murder of Officer Faulkner even though the actual circumstances were not really known. Anyway the prosecution used their peremptory challenge and put 10 white people and only two blacks on the jury in a city that is 43% black. The trial was held only two months after the gunfight and Mamia was no where near well enough to answer any question much less help his attorney ask any questions. As you might suspect, he was convicted and is serving a prison term as we speak. I usually am not easy on crime but this case appears to be a rush to judgment.
1940 On this date a British army of two divisions, half of them from India, with the strength of 30,000 troops and 275 tanks begin an assault on a five division Italian army consisting of 80,000 troop and 120 tanks. Italy had declared war on England in March right after joining with Hitler in the Axis. The prime purpose of the English army was to prevent the Italians from taking control of the Suez Canal. Very soon after the battle was joined, the British found a safe route through and around the Italian mine fields for their tanks and quickly surrounded the Italians. Two days later the Italians surrendered. Needless to say, Hitler was furious. Soon after that, the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini convinced Hitler that his army could conquer Greece. Hitler warned that any country that is fighting on its own soil is twice as ferocious as otherwise. Mussolini blew it off and invaded Greece. Soon thereafter he found his army surrounded on three sides with their young asses backed up to the sea and would have been annihilated had it not been for Hitler sending in a division of paratroopers to bail the Italians out. The Italians were the absolute worst fighting force during World War II and were a thorn in the side of Hitler.
Born today:
1608 English writer John Milton. He said “It is not miserable to be blind, it is miserable to no be incapable of enduring blindness.” John gave us “Paradise Lost” and “Paradise Regained” two books that are beacons in the literary world.
1848 US writer Joel Chandler Harris. He gave us the “Uncle Remus” tales and sayings, one of which was “Watch out when you are getting all you want, the fattening of a hog ain’t luck.” Somehow that reminds me of Rosie O’Donnell.
1895 Spanish communist leader Delores Ibarruri. She said “It is better to die on your feet that to live on you knees.” She was not the first to say that, it was also said by Leonidas, the commander of the Spartans at Thermopylae. But I guess neither Leonidas nor Delores knew Monica Lewinsky.
1904 US writer Louis Kronenberger. When describing a recent date he said “That woman ate so many clams that her stomach rose and fell with the tide.” That is not as bad as seeing someone pull a chair up to the salad bar. I saw that happen. He was from Alabama.
1922 US comedian Redd Foxx. He said “All of those health nuts out there are going to feel pretty damn stupid one day when they are lying in a hospital bed dying of nothing”.
1911 US actor Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. He said “I was telling the Queen just the other day how much I hate name dropping.” Shut up, Doug.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Daily History
Good morning,
Quote of the day:
“Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there with always be someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe that your critics are right.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
As most of you know by now, Elizabeth Edwards has taken a turn for the worst and has instructed her doctors to discontinue therapy for her cancer. Her time left on this earth is measure by hours at this point. In case y’all do not remember, she is the wife of ex-presidential candidate John Edwards who was discovered to have sired a child by a photographer assigned to follow his campaign. The bad part of all of this is the woman photographer is a skank and Elizabeth is pure class.
That traitor Julian Assange who is the president of Wikileaks has been arrested in London on a warrant issued in Sweden. The judge at his arraignment denied him bail. This jackass uncovered a bevy of confidential diplomatic cables exchanged between the United States and hundreds of other countries and ambassadors. How is the hell can this help the United States or any other country? It can only cause damage. His website is almost history anyway because PayPal and MasterCard have withdrawn their services. His actions can only cause comfort to our enemies, by definition that is treason punishable by death.
Speaking of London, when I was over there a few years ago we went on a tour of the city that included the Tower of London, Big Ben, Parliament, etc. When asked what the most popular tourist site was, our guide said it was the torture chambers. People seemed to be fascinated by the tools of pain. Across the street for the Tower of London (a torture chamber and execution site for centuries) is a pub named The Drawn and Quartered Pub. I almost jumped out of the bus because I really wanted a tee shirt from there. To those of you that do not know what drawn and quartered means it is this: It is a method of torture reserved for the most reprehensible of criminals. The criminal is disemboweled carefully so they do not die, then each limb is attached to a Shire horse (Clydesdale) each headed in a different direction and then they start beating the horses. I will let your imagination take it from here.
80 year old Kenneth James suffered from dementia and wandered away from his retirement home and disappeared. They found him Tuesday morning frozen to death under the Blossom Street bridge in Columbia, SC. The temperature got down to 22 that night. I wonder how many homeless people out there died over the last day or two, especially in the area of Asheville, NC and north from there. I looked at the temperature in Black Mountain, NC on Tuesday morning. It was 15 degrees but the wind chill made it 3 degrees. What exposed person can stand that for long?
This date in history December 8
1914 A month earlier German Admiral Maximilian Von Spee had sunk two British cruisers with the loss of all hands off the south coast of Chile. This was the worst defeat for the British navy in a hundred years. On this date Von Spee arrived at the British held Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic with the expectation of annihilating whatever British naval forces that were there. He expected to have an easy time with the slow and sluggish British battleships he saw anchored in the harbor. Von Spee’s squadron was not in peak condition because of the previous battle and the transit of Cape Horn enroute to the Falklands. What Von Spee did not see until it was too late was the two British fast cruisers “Inflexible” and “Invincible”. The British sailors aboard these ships were eager for revenge for the ships previously sunk by Von Spee. The two cruisers opened on Von Spee’s flagship “Scharnhorst” at 16,500 yards which was out of the range of the “Scharnhorst”. That ship went to bottom with all hands in a matter of minutes. The British cruisers then turned their attention to the German cruisers “Gneisenau” and “Numberg” sent them to the bottom with all hands also. All told the Germans lost four ships and 2,000 men to 10 for the British. Military historians consider this the most important sea battle in WWI. It also has the distinction of being the last battle of sailors and their guns without the assistance of aircraft and/or submarines.
1980 Previously a maniac name Mark Davis Chapman decides that John Lennon is a phony and is going to do something about it. He tells his wife that he is going to New York and kill John Lennon but his wife blows it off as bravado. He goes to New York with a .38 caliber revolver and no ammunition. Once there he discovers that ammunition of that sort is illegal and flies to Atlanta to get ammo. After arriving back in New York, he camps out outside Lennon’s luxury apartment and waits. On this date, Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono arrive at the apartment and Chapman walks up and pumps four rounds into Lennon. Chapman then casually walks back to the wall of the building, and whips out the book, “A Catcher in the Rye”, and begins reading while waiting on the police to arrive. Lennon, bleeding profusely, is put in an ambulance and taken to a hospital but dies enroute. We never know what kind of maniac is out there, do we?
1775 Earlier Patriot General George Washington had sent General Robert Montgomery and 1,000 troops into Canada via Lake Champlain and General Benedict Arnold with another 1,000 into Canada via the Maine woods to capture the cities of Montreal and Quebec. Montgomery captures Montreal almost without firing a shot but Quebec was another story. The Governor General of Canada, Sir Guy Carleton, had been at Montreal but sneaked away to Quebec. Upon arriving at Quebec, Carleton whipped together a formidable defense and awaited the arrival of the Patriots. Arnold arrived at Quebec first and demanded that the Governor surrender which was denied. Arnold decided to wait for the arrival of Montgomery and the extra troops and artillery. The Patriots were on a schedule because the greatest majority of the troop’s enlistments ended on December 31. On this date, Arnold and Montgomery join forces and begin the siege of Quebec. The siege lasted until December 31 when Montgomery and Arnold, knowing their troops would be decimated the next day, launch an assault on the city. It was a disaster with Montgomery killed and Arnold suffering a severe leg wound. After this fiasco, the Patriots retreated down Lake Champlain into the United States and safety.
1894 American writer James Thurber is born in Columbus, Ohio. As with most kids he had no clue about what he wanted to do in life, until he went to Ohio State University. It was there that he discovered creative writing then he knew his calling. James lost an eye while playing with his brothers and his writings were signed with a caricature of a man with an eye patch. James wrote for the New Yorker magazine mostly short stories and whimsical essays. James gave us An Owl in the Attic, The Seal in the Bedroom and his most memorable The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In his later years, James’ health began to fail and he compensated by getting heavily into the sauce. As a result his whimsical humor left him and his work became darker and darker. He died in 1961 but he left us with some wonderful literature.
1860 On this date the United States Secretary of the Treasury, Howell Cobb angrily resigns his position in protest of the election of the Republican Abraham Lincoln. Some of you may not know this but the Republican Party was formed for the sole purpose of the elimination of slavery in America. Anyway, Cobb goes back home to Georgia. Four months later when several state began seceding from the Union, Georgia being one of them, Cobb offered his services to the Confederate Army and was given the rank of General. It was Cobb and his brigade of Georgians that was behind the stone wall at the base of Marye’s Heights at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia. These Georgians rose up and fired at the unsuspecting oncoming Union infantry at a range of less than fifty yards and one of the bloodiest massacres in the history of the war was delivered. There is a county in Georgia named for Howell Cobb.
Births and deaths:
1542 Mary Queen of Scots is born. When she spoke of the lover the Earl of Bothwell she said “I would follow him around the earth in my underwear.”
1723 German philosopher Paul Holbach is born. He said “The hardest of stones, by degrees, give way to the touch of air.”
1889 US writer Hervey Allen is born. He said “Religions change, beer and wine remain”.
1936 US actor David Carradine is born. He said “If you cannot be a poet, then be a poem.”
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Quote of the day:
“Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there with always be someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe that your critics are right.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
As most of you know by now, Elizabeth Edwards has taken a turn for the worst and has instructed her doctors to discontinue therapy for her cancer. Her time left on this earth is measure by hours at this point. In case y’all do not remember, she is the wife of ex-presidential candidate John Edwards who was discovered to have sired a child by a photographer assigned to follow his campaign. The bad part of all of this is the woman photographer is a skank and Elizabeth is pure class.
That traitor Julian Assange who is the president of Wikileaks has been arrested in London on a warrant issued in Sweden. The judge at his arraignment denied him bail. This jackass uncovered a bevy of confidential diplomatic cables exchanged between the United States and hundreds of other countries and ambassadors. How is the hell can this help the United States or any other country? It can only cause damage. His website is almost history anyway because PayPal and MasterCard have withdrawn their services. His actions can only cause comfort to our enemies, by definition that is treason punishable by death.
Speaking of London, when I was over there a few years ago we went on a tour of the city that included the Tower of London, Big Ben, Parliament, etc. When asked what the most popular tourist site was, our guide said it was the torture chambers. People seemed to be fascinated by the tools of pain. Across the street for the Tower of London (a torture chamber and execution site for centuries) is a pub named The Drawn and Quartered Pub. I almost jumped out of the bus because I really wanted a tee shirt from there. To those of you that do not know what drawn and quartered means it is this: It is a method of torture reserved for the most reprehensible of criminals. The criminal is disemboweled carefully so they do not die, then each limb is attached to a Shire horse (Clydesdale) each headed in a different direction and then they start beating the horses. I will let your imagination take it from here.
80 year old Kenneth James suffered from dementia and wandered away from his retirement home and disappeared. They found him Tuesday morning frozen to death under the Blossom Street bridge in Columbia, SC. The temperature got down to 22 that night. I wonder how many homeless people out there died over the last day or two, especially in the area of Asheville, NC and north from there. I looked at the temperature in Black Mountain, NC on Tuesday morning. It was 15 degrees but the wind chill made it 3 degrees. What exposed person can stand that for long?
This date in history December 8
1914 A month earlier German Admiral Maximilian Von Spee had sunk two British cruisers with the loss of all hands off the south coast of Chile. This was the worst defeat for the British navy in a hundred years. On this date Von Spee arrived at the British held Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic with the expectation of annihilating whatever British naval forces that were there. He expected to have an easy time with the slow and sluggish British battleships he saw anchored in the harbor. Von Spee’s squadron was not in peak condition because of the previous battle and the transit of Cape Horn enroute to the Falklands. What Von Spee did not see until it was too late was the two British fast cruisers “Inflexible” and “Invincible”. The British sailors aboard these ships were eager for revenge for the ships previously sunk by Von Spee. The two cruisers opened on Von Spee’s flagship “Scharnhorst” at 16,500 yards which was out of the range of the “Scharnhorst”. That ship went to bottom with all hands in a matter of minutes. The British cruisers then turned their attention to the German cruisers “Gneisenau” and “Numberg” sent them to the bottom with all hands also. All told the Germans lost four ships and 2,000 men to 10 for the British. Military historians consider this the most important sea battle in WWI. It also has the distinction of being the last battle of sailors and their guns without the assistance of aircraft and/or submarines.
1980 Previously a maniac name Mark Davis Chapman decides that John Lennon is a phony and is going to do something about it. He tells his wife that he is going to New York and kill John Lennon but his wife blows it off as bravado. He goes to New York with a .38 caliber revolver and no ammunition. Once there he discovers that ammunition of that sort is illegal and flies to Atlanta to get ammo. After arriving back in New York, he camps out outside Lennon’s luxury apartment and waits. On this date, Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono arrive at the apartment and Chapman walks up and pumps four rounds into Lennon. Chapman then casually walks back to the wall of the building, and whips out the book, “A Catcher in the Rye”, and begins reading while waiting on the police to arrive. Lennon, bleeding profusely, is put in an ambulance and taken to a hospital but dies enroute. We never know what kind of maniac is out there, do we?
1775 Earlier Patriot General George Washington had sent General Robert Montgomery and 1,000 troops into Canada via Lake Champlain and General Benedict Arnold with another 1,000 into Canada via the Maine woods to capture the cities of Montreal and Quebec. Montgomery captures Montreal almost without firing a shot but Quebec was another story. The Governor General of Canada, Sir Guy Carleton, had been at Montreal but sneaked away to Quebec. Upon arriving at Quebec, Carleton whipped together a formidable defense and awaited the arrival of the Patriots. Arnold arrived at Quebec first and demanded that the Governor surrender which was denied. Arnold decided to wait for the arrival of Montgomery and the extra troops and artillery. The Patriots were on a schedule because the greatest majority of the troop’s enlistments ended on December 31. On this date, Arnold and Montgomery join forces and begin the siege of Quebec. The siege lasted until December 31 when Montgomery and Arnold, knowing their troops would be decimated the next day, launch an assault on the city. It was a disaster with Montgomery killed and Arnold suffering a severe leg wound. After this fiasco, the Patriots retreated down Lake Champlain into the United States and safety.
1894 American writer James Thurber is born in Columbus, Ohio. As with most kids he had no clue about what he wanted to do in life, until he went to Ohio State University. It was there that he discovered creative writing then he knew his calling. James lost an eye while playing with his brothers and his writings were signed with a caricature of a man with an eye patch. James wrote for the New Yorker magazine mostly short stories and whimsical essays. James gave us An Owl in the Attic, The Seal in the Bedroom and his most memorable The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In his later years, James’ health began to fail and he compensated by getting heavily into the sauce. As a result his whimsical humor left him and his work became darker and darker. He died in 1961 but he left us with some wonderful literature.
1860 On this date the United States Secretary of the Treasury, Howell Cobb angrily resigns his position in protest of the election of the Republican Abraham Lincoln. Some of you may not know this but the Republican Party was formed for the sole purpose of the elimination of slavery in America. Anyway, Cobb goes back home to Georgia. Four months later when several state began seceding from the Union, Georgia being one of them, Cobb offered his services to the Confederate Army and was given the rank of General. It was Cobb and his brigade of Georgians that was behind the stone wall at the base of Marye’s Heights at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia. These Georgians rose up and fired at the unsuspecting oncoming Union infantry at a range of less than fifty yards and one of the bloodiest massacres in the history of the war was delivered. There is a county in Georgia named for Howell Cobb.
Births and deaths:
1542 Mary Queen of Scots is born. When she spoke of the lover the Earl of Bothwell she said “I would follow him around the earth in my underwear.”
1723 German philosopher Paul Holbach is born. He said “The hardest of stones, by degrees, give way to the touch of air.”
1889 US writer Hervey Allen is born. He said “Religions change, beer and wine remain”.
1936 US actor David Carradine is born. He said “If you cannot be a poet, then be a poem.”
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Daily history
This date in history December 7
1941 At 7:55a on Sunday of this date 355 Japanese aircraft launched a surprise attack against the United States naval and air forces on the Hawaiian Islands. Earlier President Roosevelt had talked with the Japanese Emperor about Japan signing an alliance with Germany and Italy who were ravaging Europe. Roosevelt knew that Japan would not withdraw from the so-called Axis so he ordered all oil and scrap metal to be withheld from Japan making it very difficult for that country to manufacture the tools of war. Roosevelt knew this and was expecting an attack by the Japanese but he did not know where. Australian coast watchers reported that a large Japanese fleet has been spotted heading south down the Malayan peninsula and the target appears to be Thailand. This turned out to be a diversion and the real target was the Hawaiian Islands that were going to be attacked by a Japanese task force sporting four aircraft carriers. This whole scenario was planned by the brilliant and Harvard trained Admiral Yamamoto. The attack came in four waves. First came the fighters to suppress any American fighter counter-attack, second came the torpedo planes and finally the dive bombers. There was no American counter-attack. Nearly all of American fighter-bombers were destroyed before they could get off the ground. The Japanese attack was a complete success. They had destroyed 17 ships and nearly all of the American warplanes on the Islands. Fortunately for us, three of our Hawaii based aircraft carriers were out to sea and escaped attack. For reasons known only to the Japanese, they could have occupied Hawaii or sailed on east and attacked the west coast of the United States but they did neither and sailed on back to the house but the United States Navy was severely damaged. While the Japanese upper military command were singing and dancing about the victory in Hawaii Admiral Yamamoto rose up and said “It is a great victory, but I fear that all we have done is awakened a sleeping giant.” The prophetic words proved to be truthful because Yamamoto knew the manufacturing power available in the good old United States and four years later Japan was prostrate and in ruins administered by the American military.
1787 On this date the thirty members of the Delaware delegation ratify the newest American Constitution making them the first state in the United States. The law was that nine of the thirteen colonies had to ratify the Constitution for it to become law. In June 1788 New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution and it became the law of the land making us the first Democratic Republic is history.
1982 On this date the predictable staff at the Huntsville, Texas prison executed Charles Morris, Jr. who had been convicted of murdering an auto mechanic. Executions in this infamous prison are not news; they lead the nation in executions only this time they did it with an injection rather than, poison gas, the electric chair or hanging. Texas was the first to use sodium pentothal in excessive amounts to kills someone. Sodium pentothal is normally used as a “truth serum” is smaller amounts. Very soon after the execution of Morris, 30 states adopted the lethal injection as their method of execution.
1993 Earlier a black man named Colin Ferguson emigrated from Jamaica to the American west coast and then to New York City. On the date he boarded a subway train and after a couple of stops, he jumped up and produced a pistol. He then began running up and down the aisles shooting people at random. He killed 6 and injured nine. Soon thereafter famous defense lawyer William Kuntsler offers Ferguson his services and had already began putting together a defense using “black rage” as the motive. This defense even infuriated Ferguson and he fired Kuntsler and chose to be his own attorney. First he said that he was not the shooter but that it was a white man that had stolen his gun and tried to pin the murders on Ferguson, then he changed horses and said that it was some other guy with his facial features. All of this in spite of a parade of witnesses that pointed to Ferguson as the shooter. The jury was not fooled and convicted and sentenced Ferguson to 6 life term without the possibility of parole. What a dumb-ass.
1805 After reaching the Pacific Ocean a few weeks earlier, the Lewis and Clark expedition elects to make camp and spent the winter on a small creek off the Columbia River near what is now Portland Oregon. They named it Fort Clatsop after a local Indian tribe. Even though the weather is relatively mild as compared the storms raging in the Cascade Mountains a few miles away, the downside was that in the three months they spent there it rained all but 12 days resulting in wet clothing most of the time causing colds and rheumatism. They had planned to retrace their tracks on there way out the following spring but the local Indians showed them a much easier route to cross the Rockies. In the middle of March 1806, the Voyage of Discovery departed Fort Clatsop and headed east back toward Saint Louis.
Born today:
1873 US writer Willa Cather. She said “Where there is great love there is always miracles.”
1883 English writer Joyce Cary. She said “The less a man knows, the more sure he is that he knows everything.” Sounds like Pat Robertson to me.
1932 US actress Ellen Burstyn. She said “What a lovely surprise it is to realize how unlonely being alone can be.” Me too Ellen.
1947 US baseballer Johnny Bench. He said “I have never seen a horny baseball player walk into a bar and not let everyone know what he does for a living.”
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
1941 At 7:55a on Sunday of this date 355 Japanese aircraft launched a surprise attack against the United States naval and air forces on the Hawaiian Islands. Earlier President Roosevelt had talked with the Japanese Emperor about Japan signing an alliance with Germany and Italy who were ravaging Europe. Roosevelt knew that Japan would not withdraw from the so-called Axis so he ordered all oil and scrap metal to be withheld from Japan making it very difficult for that country to manufacture the tools of war. Roosevelt knew this and was expecting an attack by the Japanese but he did not know where. Australian coast watchers reported that a large Japanese fleet has been spotted heading south down the Malayan peninsula and the target appears to be Thailand. This turned out to be a diversion and the real target was the Hawaiian Islands that were going to be attacked by a Japanese task force sporting four aircraft carriers. This whole scenario was planned by the brilliant and Harvard trained Admiral Yamamoto. The attack came in four waves. First came the fighters to suppress any American fighter counter-attack, second came the torpedo planes and finally the dive bombers. There was no American counter-attack. Nearly all of American fighter-bombers were destroyed before they could get off the ground. The Japanese attack was a complete success. They had destroyed 17 ships and nearly all of the American warplanes on the Islands. Fortunately for us, three of our Hawaii based aircraft carriers were out to sea and escaped attack. For reasons known only to the Japanese, they could have occupied Hawaii or sailed on east and attacked the west coast of the United States but they did neither and sailed on back to the house but the United States Navy was severely damaged. While the Japanese upper military command were singing and dancing about the victory in Hawaii Admiral Yamamoto rose up and said “It is a great victory, but I fear that all we have done is awakened a sleeping giant.” The prophetic words proved to be truthful because Yamamoto knew the manufacturing power available in the good old United States and four years later Japan was prostrate and in ruins administered by the American military.
1787 On this date the thirty members of the Delaware delegation ratify the newest American Constitution making them the first state in the United States. The law was that nine of the thirteen colonies had to ratify the Constitution for it to become law. In June 1788 New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution and it became the law of the land making us the first Democratic Republic is history.
1982 On this date the predictable staff at the Huntsville, Texas prison executed Charles Morris, Jr. who had been convicted of murdering an auto mechanic. Executions in this infamous prison are not news; they lead the nation in executions only this time they did it with an injection rather than, poison gas, the electric chair or hanging. Texas was the first to use sodium pentothal in excessive amounts to kills someone. Sodium pentothal is normally used as a “truth serum” is smaller amounts. Very soon after the execution of Morris, 30 states adopted the lethal injection as their method of execution.
1993 Earlier a black man named Colin Ferguson emigrated from Jamaica to the American west coast and then to New York City. On the date he boarded a subway train and after a couple of stops, he jumped up and produced a pistol. He then began running up and down the aisles shooting people at random. He killed 6 and injured nine. Soon thereafter famous defense lawyer William Kuntsler offers Ferguson his services and had already began putting together a defense using “black rage” as the motive. This defense even infuriated Ferguson and he fired Kuntsler and chose to be his own attorney. First he said that he was not the shooter but that it was a white man that had stolen his gun and tried to pin the murders on Ferguson, then he changed horses and said that it was some other guy with his facial features. All of this in spite of a parade of witnesses that pointed to Ferguson as the shooter. The jury was not fooled and convicted and sentenced Ferguson to 6 life term without the possibility of parole. What a dumb-ass.
1805 After reaching the Pacific Ocean a few weeks earlier, the Lewis and Clark expedition elects to make camp and spent the winter on a small creek off the Columbia River near what is now Portland Oregon. They named it Fort Clatsop after a local Indian tribe. Even though the weather is relatively mild as compared the storms raging in the Cascade Mountains a few miles away, the downside was that in the three months they spent there it rained all but 12 days resulting in wet clothing most of the time causing colds and rheumatism. They had planned to retrace their tracks on there way out the following spring but the local Indians showed them a much easier route to cross the Rockies. In the middle of March 1806, the Voyage of Discovery departed Fort Clatsop and headed east back toward Saint Louis.
Born today:
1873 US writer Willa Cather. She said “Where there is great love there is always miracles.”
1883 English writer Joyce Cary. She said “The less a man knows, the more sure he is that he knows everything.” Sounds like Pat Robertson to me.
1932 US actress Ellen Burstyn. She said “What a lovely surprise it is to realize how unlonely being alone can be.” Me too Ellen.
1947 US baseballer Johnny Bench. He said “I have never seen a horny baseball player walk into a bar and not let everyone know what he does for a living.”
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Daily history
Good morning,
Quote of the day,
“Put all the planes in tight circles so they can be more easily guarded. The biggest threat to us is sabotage.”
US Army General Walter Short, Hawaii, 1941
General Short was responsible for the United States Army Air force planes being decimated by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor even though Washington experts had told him that an airborne attack by the Japanese from the sea was likely if not imminent. By the way, the Japanese naval task force was well on its way to Hawaii by December 2, 1941.
Down in Columbia, SC some really intelligent thief decided to hold up five different places near an area known as “Vista” which is in downtown Columbia. Every place he robbed has a security camera so the cops had a montage of pictures of him from a variety of angles. He was arrested within five days and taken to the James Abbot Detention Center. After a few days he was sent to the Alvin Greene Center for Unparalleled Stupidity.
I think y’all will remember the sage of Garinger High School in Charlotte, NC. At first there was a gang fight at a football game that took a SWAT team to break it up…then there was a fight in front of the school before class that also took a SWAT team to stop. A couple of days ago a student walked out of the high school and fired a couple of rounds from a pistol and then walked back in. What they have up there is a failure to communicate. A police baton swiftly struck across shins and kneecaps speaks volumes…Behind the ear is even more explanatory.
Five months ago a woman gave birth to a normal boy in Romania. What makes this peculiar is that the mother was 5’-3” and weighed 528 pounds. Enormously grotesque images come to mind. First is the conception and second is the delivery. She died a couple of days ago from a heart attack. I am not going any further with that.
Last week Professional golfer Ian Poulter was disqualified in a tournament in Dubai for improperly marking his ball. This week he was on the practice green with Tiger Woods practicing for the upcoming Chevron Open. Tiger yelled at Ian across the green saying “Don’t you know how to properly mark your ball?” Ian yelled back “Calm down number 2.”
This date in history December 2
1864 One of the finest CSA field officers is killed when an artillery shell explodes near his position in the Petersburg, Virginia fortifications. General Archibald Gracie was born in New York City in 1832. His family was wealthy and sent him to Germany to be educated and then he came back and attended West Point. After graduating he moved to Mobile, Alabama to run one of his father’s businesses there. It was during this time in the City of Azaleas that he became enamored with the mystique of the Deep South. When the Civil War broke out Gracie offered his services to the Confederacy. He was assigned to the army of CSA General Kirby Smith and served with distinction in Smith’s invasion of Kentucky. After this he was promoted to Brigadier General. He fought at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. He and his brigade joined with the CSA army led by CSA General James Longstreet in his attack on Knoxville, Tennessee. Even though he was wounded at the Battle of Bean’s Bridge, he followed General Longstreet back into Virginia to join General Robert E. Lee at Petersburg. It was Gracie’s brigade that turned back US General Benjamin Butler’s attack on the Confederate flank at Drewry’s Bluff. After this action he was recommended for a promotion to Major General but he was killed before it was confirmed. The US requested a special truce to bring Gracie’s body through the lines. He is buried in New York City.
1777 Legend has it that a woman named Lydia Darrah overhears British General William Howe planning a surprise attack on US General George Washington at Whitemarsh, New Jersey. Originally General Howe had his headquarters across the street from the Darrah home. The problem was that Howe’s house did not have a room big enough for a meeting of all his staff. So Howe commandeered the upstairs office in the Darrah house for his staff meetings. Little did he know that Lydia was taking notes. When she learned of the planned surprise attack she sewed a note inside of one her aprons and asked for permission to go to a flour mill just across the lines. While there she gave her note to a Patriot officer named James Craig and he got the note to Washington. When Howe and his troops arrived at Whitemarsh he found Washington and his troops dug in and ready. After three days of inconclusive skirmishing, Howe said “To hell with it” and went back to New York. The CIA holds Lydia Darrah in high esteem as being on of the first spies in American history.
1985 John Gotti cements his position as the head of the Gambino Crime family in New York. He did it the honorable way. He knew that the present Godfather Paul “Big Paul” Castellano and his driver Thomas “Fat Tommy” Biliotti were going to Sparks Steak House for dinner. Gotti had three assassins waiting and Paul and Tommy were gunned down on the sidewalk in a hailstorm of gunfire. Gotti got to his position with the Gambino family by ruling over the Howard Beach area of New York with an iron hand. John was a nappy dresser. He wore expensive suits and got $300 haircuts. He was taken to trial several times but always was able to beat the wrap and gained the nickname “The Teflon Don”. His luck ran out in 1994 when he was convicted on a RICO charge and was given life. He was sent to the Federal prison in Springfield, Missouri where he died of throat cancer in 2002.
1859 In Charles Town, Virginia John Brown is hanged. Brown was born in Connecticut in 1800.and became a violent anti-slavery advocate. This guy did not fool around. He would kill at the drop of a hat if he even thought you were an advocate of slavery. What brought Brown to the gallows was his raid on the US armory at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. He had intentions of capturing the armaments there and distributing them to the slaves that he was positive would come to his side when they found out about the raid. The problem was that the slaves in the immediate community did not know of the raid and he had no way to haul artillery. US Colonel Robert E. Lee and Captain J.E.B. Stuart and a brigade of Marines were sent to re-capture the Arsenal. Lee, Stuart and the Marines had little trouble in suppressing Brown and his motley crew. There were songs written about Brown and his bravery and dedication to the “cause”. Not in my opinion. He was a terrorist that got what he deserved no matter how dedicated.
Births and deaths:
1859 French impressionist George Seurat is born. He said “Painting is the act of making a surface holy.”
1924 American General/politician and king of double talk Alexander Haig is born. He said “It is not a lie, it is a terminological inexactitude.”
1981 The queen of white trash Brittany Spears is born. She said “One of the perks of being famous is that you get to go abroad, like to Canada.” What a stupid broad.
1990 US Composer Aaron Copeland dies. He said “As long as human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it and give it expressive meaning.”
I suppose all of you remember when the USS Cole was attacked by a terrorist bomber while it was taking on fuel in Yemen. The following is who the ship is named for.
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to
SERGEANT DARRELL S. COLE
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE
for service as set forth in the following CITATION:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Leader of a Machine-gun Section of Company B, First Battalion, Twenty-Third Marines, Fourth Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the assault on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, 19 February 1945. Assailed by a tremendous volume of small-arms, mortar and artillery fire as he advanced with one squad of his section in the initial assault wave, Sergeant Cole boldly led his men up the sloping beach toward Airfield Number One despite the blanketing curtain of flying shrapnel and, personally destroying with hand grenades two hostile emplacements which menaced the progress of his unit, continued to move forward until a merciless barrage of fire emanating from three Japanese pillboxes halted the advance. Instantly placing his one remaining machine gun in action, he delivered a shattering fusillade and succeeded in silencing the nearest and most threatening emplacement before his weapon jammed and the enemy, reopening fire with knee mortars and grenades, pinned down his unit for the second time. Shrewdly gauging the tactical situation and evolving a daring plan of counterattack, Sergeant Cole, armed solely with a pistol and one grenade, coolly advanced alone to the hostile pillboxes. Hurling his one grenade at the enemy in sudden, swift attack, he quickly withdrew, returned to his own lines for additional grenades and again advanced, attacked, and withdrew. With enemy guns still active, he ran the gauntlet of slashing fire a third time to complete the total destruction of the Japanese strong point and the annihilation of the defending garrison in this final assault. Although instantly killed by an enemy grenade as he returned to his squad, Sergeant Cole had eliminated a formidable Japanese position, thereby enabling his company to storm the remaining fortifications, continue the advance and seize the objective. By his dauntless initiative, unfaltering courage and indomitable determination during a critical period of action, Sergeant Cole served as an inspiration to his comrades, and his stouthearted leadership in the face of almost certain death sustained and enhanced the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
Where do we find such men?
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Quote of the day,
“Put all the planes in tight circles so they can be more easily guarded. The biggest threat to us is sabotage.”
US Army General Walter Short, Hawaii, 1941
General Short was responsible for the United States Army Air force planes being decimated by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor even though Washington experts had told him that an airborne attack by the Japanese from the sea was likely if not imminent. By the way, the Japanese naval task force was well on its way to Hawaii by December 2, 1941.
Down in Columbia, SC some really intelligent thief decided to hold up five different places near an area known as “Vista” which is in downtown Columbia. Every place he robbed has a security camera so the cops had a montage of pictures of him from a variety of angles. He was arrested within five days and taken to the James Abbot Detention Center. After a few days he was sent to the Alvin Greene Center for Unparalleled Stupidity.
I think y’all will remember the sage of Garinger High School in Charlotte, NC. At first there was a gang fight at a football game that took a SWAT team to break it up…then there was a fight in front of the school before class that also took a SWAT team to stop. A couple of days ago a student walked out of the high school and fired a couple of rounds from a pistol and then walked back in. What they have up there is a failure to communicate. A police baton swiftly struck across shins and kneecaps speaks volumes…Behind the ear is even more explanatory.
Five months ago a woman gave birth to a normal boy in Romania. What makes this peculiar is that the mother was 5’-3” and weighed 528 pounds. Enormously grotesque images come to mind. First is the conception and second is the delivery. She died a couple of days ago from a heart attack. I am not going any further with that.
Last week Professional golfer Ian Poulter was disqualified in a tournament in Dubai for improperly marking his ball. This week he was on the practice green with Tiger Woods practicing for the upcoming Chevron Open. Tiger yelled at Ian across the green saying “Don’t you know how to properly mark your ball?” Ian yelled back “Calm down number 2.”
This date in history December 2
1864 One of the finest CSA field officers is killed when an artillery shell explodes near his position in the Petersburg, Virginia fortifications. General Archibald Gracie was born in New York City in 1832. His family was wealthy and sent him to Germany to be educated and then he came back and attended West Point. After graduating he moved to Mobile, Alabama to run one of his father’s businesses there. It was during this time in the City of Azaleas that he became enamored with the mystique of the Deep South. When the Civil War broke out Gracie offered his services to the Confederacy. He was assigned to the army of CSA General Kirby Smith and served with distinction in Smith’s invasion of Kentucky. After this he was promoted to Brigadier General. He fought at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. He and his brigade joined with the CSA army led by CSA General James Longstreet in his attack on Knoxville, Tennessee. Even though he was wounded at the Battle of Bean’s Bridge, he followed General Longstreet back into Virginia to join General Robert E. Lee at Petersburg. It was Gracie’s brigade that turned back US General Benjamin Butler’s attack on the Confederate flank at Drewry’s Bluff. After this action he was recommended for a promotion to Major General but he was killed before it was confirmed. The US requested a special truce to bring Gracie’s body through the lines. He is buried in New York City.
1777 Legend has it that a woman named Lydia Darrah overhears British General William Howe planning a surprise attack on US General George Washington at Whitemarsh, New Jersey. Originally General Howe had his headquarters across the street from the Darrah home. The problem was that Howe’s house did not have a room big enough for a meeting of all his staff. So Howe commandeered the upstairs office in the Darrah house for his staff meetings. Little did he know that Lydia was taking notes. When she learned of the planned surprise attack she sewed a note inside of one her aprons and asked for permission to go to a flour mill just across the lines. While there she gave her note to a Patriot officer named James Craig and he got the note to Washington. When Howe and his troops arrived at Whitemarsh he found Washington and his troops dug in and ready. After three days of inconclusive skirmishing, Howe said “To hell with it” and went back to New York. The CIA holds Lydia Darrah in high esteem as being on of the first spies in American history.
1985 John Gotti cements his position as the head of the Gambino Crime family in New York. He did it the honorable way. He knew that the present Godfather Paul “Big Paul” Castellano and his driver Thomas “Fat Tommy” Biliotti were going to Sparks Steak House for dinner. Gotti had three assassins waiting and Paul and Tommy were gunned down on the sidewalk in a hailstorm of gunfire. Gotti got to his position with the Gambino family by ruling over the Howard Beach area of New York with an iron hand. John was a nappy dresser. He wore expensive suits and got $300 haircuts. He was taken to trial several times but always was able to beat the wrap and gained the nickname “The Teflon Don”. His luck ran out in 1994 when he was convicted on a RICO charge and was given life. He was sent to the Federal prison in Springfield, Missouri where he died of throat cancer in 2002.
1859 In Charles Town, Virginia John Brown is hanged. Brown was born in Connecticut in 1800.and became a violent anti-slavery advocate. This guy did not fool around. He would kill at the drop of a hat if he even thought you were an advocate of slavery. What brought Brown to the gallows was his raid on the US armory at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. He had intentions of capturing the armaments there and distributing them to the slaves that he was positive would come to his side when they found out about the raid. The problem was that the slaves in the immediate community did not know of the raid and he had no way to haul artillery. US Colonel Robert E. Lee and Captain J.E.B. Stuart and a brigade of Marines were sent to re-capture the Arsenal. Lee, Stuart and the Marines had little trouble in suppressing Brown and his motley crew. There were songs written about Brown and his bravery and dedication to the “cause”. Not in my opinion. He was a terrorist that got what he deserved no matter how dedicated.
Births and deaths:
1859 French impressionist George Seurat is born. He said “Painting is the act of making a surface holy.”
1924 American General/politician and king of double talk Alexander Haig is born. He said “It is not a lie, it is a terminological inexactitude.”
1981 The queen of white trash Brittany Spears is born. She said “One of the perks of being famous is that you get to go abroad, like to Canada.” What a stupid broad.
1990 US Composer Aaron Copeland dies. He said “As long as human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it and give it expressive meaning.”
I suppose all of you remember when the USS Cole was attacked by a terrorist bomber while it was taking on fuel in Yemen. The following is who the ship is named for.
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to
SERGEANT DARRELL S. COLE
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE
for service as set forth in the following CITATION:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Leader of a Machine-gun Section of Company B, First Battalion, Twenty-Third Marines, Fourth Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the assault on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, 19 February 1945. Assailed by a tremendous volume of small-arms, mortar and artillery fire as he advanced with one squad of his section in the initial assault wave, Sergeant Cole boldly led his men up the sloping beach toward Airfield Number One despite the blanketing curtain of flying shrapnel and, personally destroying with hand grenades two hostile emplacements which menaced the progress of his unit, continued to move forward until a merciless barrage of fire emanating from three Japanese pillboxes halted the advance. Instantly placing his one remaining machine gun in action, he delivered a shattering fusillade and succeeded in silencing the nearest and most threatening emplacement before his weapon jammed and the enemy, reopening fire with knee mortars and grenades, pinned down his unit for the second time. Shrewdly gauging the tactical situation and evolving a daring plan of counterattack, Sergeant Cole, armed solely with a pistol and one grenade, coolly advanced alone to the hostile pillboxes. Hurling his one grenade at the enemy in sudden, swift attack, he quickly withdrew, returned to his own lines for additional grenades and again advanced, attacked, and withdrew. With enemy guns still active, he ran the gauntlet of slashing fire a third time to complete the total destruction of the Japanese strong point and the annihilation of the defending garrison in this final assault. Although instantly killed by an enemy grenade as he returned to his squad, Sergeant Cole had eliminated a formidable Japanese position, thereby enabling his company to storm the remaining fortifications, continue the advance and seize the objective. By his dauntless initiative, unfaltering courage and indomitable determination during a critical period of action, Sergeant Cole served as an inspiration to his comrades, and his stouthearted leadership in the face of almost certain death sustained and enhanced the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
Where do we find such men?
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Daily history
Good morning,
Quote of the day:
“Eva was considering opening her own tree nursery, then I heard her sing “The Rose” and everything changed.”
Hugh Cassidy, Eva Cassidy’s father
Some of you may not know this but last year I “adopted” a US Marine sergeant stationed in Afghanistan. When I say “adopted” that means that I established communications with him on e-mail and sent him a CARE package packed with goodies that soldiers in that area want the most. You would be surprised to know that high on the list is “Baby Wipes”. They want damp towels to keep their face and hands as free of grit and dirt as possible. They want reading material also but that varies widely with the reader’s preference. The absolute top of the list is non perishable food that is not canned. That spells Slim Jims and beef jerky and things similar. I lost contact with him for several weeks and thought the worse. I finally found out that he had been rotated back to states and was stationed at Cherry Point Naval Air Station, North Carolina. He was a helicopter mechanic/combat soldier. It was a very rewarding experience.
If any of y’all feel like you would like this experience, there is a super-patriot family that acts as a clearing house in assigning soldiers to us. Here is the way to contact them:
It is the Rust family from Port St Lucie, Florida.
Phone: 772-336-2689 or go to,
www.RyanRust.com or www.adoptahero.us
I went through the “adoptahero” site but it is the same family.
South Korea and their allies including America completed their maneuvers in the Yellow Sea without any interference from the North Koreans. It has been said that they are just “spoiled children” that want the attention of the United States. I can think of a lot worse things to call those phonies.
I saw a comedian that said he went to Iraq on a USO mission to entertain the troops. He went to Tikrit and back to Baghdad in a C-130. He flew around in an Apache combat helicopter. He was shot at; saw mortar rounds landing and machine gun tracers zooming by. He made a good observation when he said this: “Those people were not interested in killing African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Slav-Americans, German-Americans, Scots-Americans. Irish-Americans, European-Americans, American Indians, they were just interested in killing Americans. They did not differentiate, why should we?”
Back in May Anderson County Deputy Sheriff Brent Moore pulled over Anderson County administrator Joey Preston for a suspected DUI. This past Tuesday Deputy Moore was indicted for taking a bribe. Anderson County Sheriff John Skipper said that Moore’s encounter with Joey Preston had nothing to do with the present charges. I would like to see a show of hands of those that believe that…That’s what I thought…Me neither…Preston is sending a message to all law enforcement in the Anderson, South Carolina area.
This date in history December 1
1779 Patriot commander General George Washington and his rag-tag army go into winter quarters at Morristown, New Jersey. Fortunately for Washington he was able to commandeer a fairly substantial house known as Ford House for the winter. His accommodations gave the General plenty of room and light to make plans for the next encounter with the Loyalists/British/German mercenaries. His troops had to build about 1,000 log cabins on about 600 acres to withstand one of the worst winters in American history. This was going to be a winter of not enough winter clothes, not enough food and receiving no pay. It was not much better for the civilians because the Continental treasury had all but collapsed and life was hard for them also. With the economy reduced by 40 per cent because of the war and both the Continental army and the English army raiding farms for horses and oxen to tow their artillery. This prevented the farmers from being able to till their crops which had a domino effect with the rest of the community. Even with the defeat of British General Burgoyne and the capture of nearly 8,000 British troops, this added a hardship to the colonies because they had 8,000 more mouths to feed. Even though Washington had 16,000 troops in the books, he had only 3,600 that were standing for orders; the rest had gone back to their homes. The Continental Army was on the cusp of dissolution. The British people were in a similar frame of mind. They did not share King George III in his zeal for keeping the colonies. They were fed up with the lack of trade and an exponentially decrease in their economy because of the extra costs of the war. A war of attrition had now become a war of contrition. The United States exists because of the grit, sacrifice, determination and an ocean of blood shed by our ancestors. Let us not ever forget that.
1955 On this chilly morning a black woman in Montgomery, Alabama name Rosa Parks boarded a city bus for a ride across town. She and all blacks were ordered by law to sit in the back of the bus aft of the rear door. That is unless a white, man or woman, was found to be standing and then one of the blacks had to give up their seat to the honky. Rosa was ordered by the bus driver to give up her seat to a white man that was standing. Rosa refused and was arrested and jailed. Rosa was a card carrying member of the NAACP and when word reached NAACP headquarters all hell broke loose. The NAACP ordered a boycott of the Montgomery bus system and it was successful which proved to be disastrous because the blacks represented 70% of the bus riders. This was the first time that the Rev. Martin Luther King got involved with a peaceful action against segregation. The NAACP sued the city of Montgomery because of the law that specified segregation on mass transit in the city. The US Supreme Court struck down that law as being a violation of the 14th Amendment and 381 days after the boycott began, blacks again began riding the busses and sitting anywhere they pleased. One of the first riders on this day was Rosa Parks.
1862 US President Abraham Lincoln gives his first State of the Union address to Congress. Lincoln was between a rock and a hard place because he had issued the Emancipation Proclamation just a few weeks before which freed the slave in those states in rebellion (Confederacy). His action here was very ill-advised because the majority of the northern states and many in his own Republican party did not feel the war should be based on freeing the slaves and the gain of the Democrats in the recent election proved it. So in this address Lincoln soft sold the Emancipation Proclamation and said that it should be enforced gradually. But that did not help those states that were slave-holding but did not secede. Lincoln did not know what to do about those states. If he made one false move those four states would probably secede and join the Confederacy. Not only that. The Army of the Potomac was not doing well against CSA General R.E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia. There was not a pretty picture that Lincoln could paint in this address. Part of his closing statement stated: “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present...fellow citizens we cannot escape history. We will nobly save, or meanly lose, the last, best hope on earth.” Indeed Abe, indeed.
1958 On this date the grammar school named Our Lady of Angels in Chicago is hit with a disaster. The school was run by the Sisters of Charity in an old building with no fire protection like sprinklers and fire alarms. The Sisters had never held a fire drill. A small fire started in a trash pile in the basement which quickly spread to the floor of the first floor. The teachers on the first floor smelled smoke and took their students out to safety but did not alert the people on the second floor. The janitor discovered the fire and ran upstairs to pull the fire alarms but they apparently did not work which meant that the students and teachers on the second floor were trapped. Some of the students jumped out of windows to the awaiting arms of the firemen who had finally arrived. Many were injured, including the firemen. One improvising teacher told her students to get under the smoke and roll down the stairs and out the door to safety but others just stayed and awaited divine intervention. 90 students and three nuns were killed in the inferno. What a damned shame.
1884 A Mexican deputy sheriff named Elfego Baca arrests a gringo cowboy named Charles McArthur for firing for or five shots at him in Frisco (now Reserve), New Mexico. On this day about 80 cowboys show up to spring good old Charlie from the slammer. It seems this group of Texas cowboys had been using this Mexican village for their own personal entertainment by riding in and brutalizing the residents, raping the girls, etc so Baca was assigned the duty to put a stop to it and given the title of deputy Sheriff. When the 80 cowboys rode in Baca hustled the town’s people into the church where they would be safe and then ran to an old adobe house to make a stand. Baca opened up and killed one of the cowboys and wounded several. The cowboys responded with over 400 rounds into the flimsy building. Not hearing any response the cowboys thought Baca was dead. But the next morning they smelled beef stew and found out the Baca was indeed alive and cooking his breakfast. About then, two more lawmen showed up along with many of Baca’s friends and the cowboys retreated. There was no more trouble from the Texas cowboys after that, Baca went on to become a hero in the Latino community fir standing up to those gringos and enjoyed a life of peace and notoriety.
Born today:
1888 English mystery writer Rex Stout. He said “There is nothing more admirable than the fortitude that millionaires have dealing with the disadvantages of their money” Rex, shut up.
1939 Golfer Lee Trevino. He said “If I am on a golf course and it begins to thunder and lightning I walk around with a one iron because even God cannot hit a one iron.” Don’t count on it, Lee.
1945 American entertainer Bette Midler. She said “They arrested Helen Reddy for loitering in front of an orchestra.” I didn’t like her either, Bette.
Died today:
1964 English scientist John Haldane. He said “I have never met a healthy man who worried about his health or a good man that worried about his soul.” Tack onto that “or a drunken man who didn’t think he is irresistible to women.”
1987 US writer James Baldwin. He said “The price we pay for pursuing an art is calling in the familiarity of the ugly side of it.” Baldwin was a chronicler of the so called “Beat Generation”.
Quotable quotes:
“Don’t believe in reincarnation, I didn’t believe in it when I was a tuna.” Shane Richey
“I am always looking for a meaningful one-night stand” Me too. Dudley Moore
“For three years things were great, then she up and leaves me for a guy that didn’t beat her”
Jim Norton
“If there really is a God with all of his glories, he will NOT use as his messenger a man on TV with a bad hairstyle.”
Dave Barry.
When asked how far away form a nuclear explosion you have to be to be safe Brother Dave Gardner said “Far enough away that you can say, “What was that?”
“Sex without love is am empty experience, but as empty experiences go it is one of the best.”
Woody Allen
“Sex appeal is fifty percent of what you have and fifty percent of what people think you have.”
Sophia Loren
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Quote of the day:
“Eva was considering opening her own tree nursery, then I heard her sing “The Rose” and everything changed.”
Hugh Cassidy, Eva Cassidy’s father
Some of you may not know this but last year I “adopted” a US Marine sergeant stationed in Afghanistan. When I say “adopted” that means that I established communications with him on e-mail and sent him a CARE package packed with goodies that soldiers in that area want the most. You would be surprised to know that high on the list is “Baby Wipes”. They want damp towels to keep their face and hands as free of grit and dirt as possible. They want reading material also but that varies widely with the reader’s preference. The absolute top of the list is non perishable food that is not canned. That spells Slim Jims and beef jerky and things similar. I lost contact with him for several weeks and thought the worse. I finally found out that he had been rotated back to states and was stationed at Cherry Point Naval Air Station, North Carolina. He was a helicopter mechanic/combat soldier. It was a very rewarding experience.
If any of y’all feel like you would like this experience, there is a super-patriot family that acts as a clearing house in assigning soldiers to us. Here is the way to contact them:
It is the Rust family from Port St Lucie, Florida.
Phone: 772-336-2689 or go to,
www.RyanRust.com or www.adoptahero.us
I went through the “adoptahero” site but it is the same family.
South Korea and their allies including America completed their maneuvers in the Yellow Sea without any interference from the North Koreans. It has been said that they are just “spoiled children” that want the attention of the United States. I can think of a lot worse things to call those phonies.
I saw a comedian that said he went to Iraq on a USO mission to entertain the troops. He went to Tikrit and back to Baghdad in a C-130. He flew around in an Apache combat helicopter. He was shot at; saw mortar rounds landing and machine gun tracers zooming by. He made a good observation when he said this: “Those people were not interested in killing African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Slav-Americans, German-Americans, Scots-Americans. Irish-Americans, European-Americans, American Indians, they were just interested in killing Americans. They did not differentiate, why should we?”
Back in May Anderson County Deputy Sheriff Brent Moore pulled over Anderson County administrator Joey Preston for a suspected DUI. This past Tuesday Deputy Moore was indicted for taking a bribe. Anderson County Sheriff John Skipper said that Moore’s encounter with Joey Preston had nothing to do with the present charges. I would like to see a show of hands of those that believe that…That’s what I thought…Me neither…Preston is sending a message to all law enforcement in the Anderson, South Carolina area.
This date in history December 1
1779 Patriot commander General George Washington and his rag-tag army go into winter quarters at Morristown, New Jersey. Fortunately for Washington he was able to commandeer a fairly substantial house known as Ford House for the winter. His accommodations gave the General plenty of room and light to make plans for the next encounter with the Loyalists/British/German mercenaries. His troops had to build about 1,000 log cabins on about 600 acres to withstand one of the worst winters in American history. This was going to be a winter of not enough winter clothes, not enough food and receiving no pay. It was not much better for the civilians because the Continental treasury had all but collapsed and life was hard for them also. With the economy reduced by 40 per cent because of the war and both the Continental army and the English army raiding farms for horses and oxen to tow their artillery. This prevented the farmers from being able to till their crops which had a domino effect with the rest of the community. Even with the defeat of British General Burgoyne and the capture of nearly 8,000 British troops, this added a hardship to the colonies because they had 8,000 more mouths to feed. Even though Washington had 16,000 troops in the books, he had only 3,600 that were standing for orders; the rest had gone back to their homes. The Continental Army was on the cusp of dissolution. The British people were in a similar frame of mind. They did not share King George III in his zeal for keeping the colonies. They were fed up with the lack of trade and an exponentially decrease in their economy because of the extra costs of the war. A war of attrition had now become a war of contrition. The United States exists because of the grit, sacrifice, determination and an ocean of blood shed by our ancestors. Let us not ever forget that.
1955 On this chilly morning a black woman in Montgomery, Alabama name Rosa Parks boarded a city bus for a ride across town. She and all blacks were ordered by law to sit in the back of the bus aft of the rear door. That is unless a white, man or woman, was found to be standing and then one of the blacks had to give up their seat to the honky. Rosa was ordered by the bus driver to give up her seat to a white man that was standing. Rosa refused and was arrested and jailed. Rosa was a card carrying member of the NAACP and when word reached NAACP headquarters all hell broke loose. The NAACP ordered a boycott of the Montgomery bus system and it was successful which proved to be disastrous because the blacks represented 70% of the bus riders. This was the first time that the Rev. Martin Luther King got involved with a peaceful action against segregation. The NAACP sued the city of Montgomery because of the law that specified segregation on mass transit in the city. The US Supreme Court struck down that law as being a violation of the 14th Amendment and 381 days after the boycott began, blacks again began riding the busses and sitting anywhere they pleased. One of the first riders on this day was Rosa Parks.
1862 US President Abraham Lincoln gives his first State of the Union address to Congress. Lincoln was between a rock and a hard place because he had issued the Emancipation Proclamation just a few weeks before which freed the slave in those states in rebellion (Confederacy). His action here was very ill-advised because the majority of the northern states and many in his own Republican party did not feel the war should be based on freeing the slaves and the gain of the Democrats in the recent election proved it. So in this address Lincoln soft sold the Emancipation Proclamation and said that it should be enforced gradually. But that did not help those states that were slave-holding but did not secede. Lincoln did not know what to do about those states. If he made one false move those four states would probably secede and join the Confederacy. Not only that. The Army of the Potomac was not doing well against CSA General R.E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia. There was not a pretty picture that Lincoln could paint in this address. Part of his closing statement stated: “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present...fellow citizens we cannot escape history. We will nobly save, or meanly lose, the last, best hope on earth.” Indeed Abe, indeed.
1958 On this date the grammar school named Our Lady of Angels in Chicago is hit with a disaster. The school was run by the Sisters of Charity in an old building with no fire protection like sprinklers and fire alarms. The Sisters had never held a fire drill. A small fire started in a trash pile in the basement which quickly spread to the floor of the first floor. The teachers on the first floor smelled smoke and took their students out to safety but did not alert the people on the second floor. The janitor discovered the fire and ran upstairs to pull the fire alarms but they apparently did not work which meant that the students and teachers on the second floor were trapped. Some of the students jumped out of windows to the awaiting arms of the firemen who had finally arrived. Many were injured, including the firemen. One improvising teacher told her students to get under the smoke and roll down the stairs and out the door to safety but others just stayed and awaited divine intervention. 90 students and three nuns were killed in the inferno. What a damned shame.
1884 A Mexican deputy sheriff named Elfego Baca arrests a gringo cowboy named Charles McArthur for firing for or five shots at him in Frisco (now Reserve), New Mexico. On this day about 80 cowboys show up to spring good old Charlie from the slammer. It seems this group of Texas cowboys had been using this Mexican village for their own personal entertainment by riding in and brutalizing the residents, raping the girls, etc so Baca was assigned the duty to put a stop to it and given the title of deputy Sheriff. When the 80 cowboys rode in Baca hustled the town’s people into the church where they would be safe and then ran to an old adobe house to make a stand. Baca opened up and killed one of the cowboys and wounded several. The cowboys responded with over 400 rounds into the flimsy building. Not hearing any response the cowboys thought Baca was dead. But the next morning they smelled beef stew and found out the Baca was indeed alive and cooking his breakfast. About then, two more lawmen showed up along with many of Baca’s friends and the cowboys retreated. There was no more trouble from the Texas cowboys after that, Baca went on to become a hero in the Latino community fir standing up to those gringos and enjoyed a life of peace and notoriety.
Born today:
1888 English mystery writer Rex Stout. He said “There is nothing more admirable than the fortitude that millionaires have dealing with the disadvantages of their money” Rex, shut up.
1939 Golfer Lee Trevino. He said “If I am on a golf course and it begins to thunder and lightning I walk around with a one iron because even God cannot hit a one iron.” Don’t count on it, Lee.
1945 American entertainer Bette Midler. She said “They arrested Helen Reddy for loitering in front of an orchestra.” I didn’t like her either, Bette.
Died today:
1964 English scientist John Haldane. He said “I have never met a healthy man who worried about his health or a good man that worried about his soul.” Tack onto that “or a drunken man who didn’t think he is irresistible to women.”
1987 US writer James Baldwin. He said “The price we pay for pursuing an art is calling in the familiarity of the ugly side of it.” Baldwin was a chronicler of the so called “Beat Generation”.
Quotable quotes:
“Don’t believe in reincarnation, I didn’t believe in it when I was a tuna.” Shane Richey
“I am always looking for a meaningful one-night stand” Me too. Dudley Moore
“For three years things were great, then she up and leaves me for a guy that didn’t beat her”
Jim Norton
“If there really is a God with all of his glories, he will NOT use as his messenger a man on TV with a bad hairstyle.”
Dave Barry.
When asked how far away form a nuclear explosion you have to be to be safe Brother Dave Gardner said “Far enough away that you can say, “What was that?”
“Sex without love is am empty experience, but as empty experiences go it is one of the best.”
Woody Allen
“Sex appeal is fifty percent of what you have and fifty percent of what people think you have.”
Sophia Loren
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
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